A Raven's Darkness
by lucidatray7
Summary: The Phantomhives aren't the only family involved in London's underworld. Ciel finds himself partnered with the Queen's Raven to solve the Jack the Ripper case. How will Ciel and Sebastian take it when the Raven already knows about Sebastian's true self and Ciel's contract?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The Phantomhives aren't the only family involved in London's underworld. Ciel finds himself partnered with the Queen's Raven to solve the Jack the Ripper case. How will Ciel and Sebastian take it when the Raven already knows about Sebastian's true self and Ciel's contract?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or its characters, the same for any other anime/game I may use in this fanfiction — only my OC(s)

Pairing(s): (possible future) SebastianxOC

Note(s): General warnings: slight angst, cursing, (maybe) slightly OC-centric, (maybe) slightly OOC characters, (possible) **spoilers**, and Rated T — possibly going to elevate to Rated M. This could be a slight crossover with Final Fantasy VII for stealing Vincent (though looking mostly like he was during his time as a Turk while having the same personality as the game) and any other anime/game I want to use.

**Chapter One: Enter the Raven**

The day for Ciel Phantomhive started out as a pretty normal day; though he had just gotten away from his fiancée, who could be rather annoying — despite the fact that he still cares for her deeply.

Ciel was a rather short, twelve-year-old boy — only being around five feet tall. He had a fair skin tone and was somewhat thin. He had dark, navy blue hair with his bangs covering most of the upper-right side of his face, and his left eye was dark sapphire-blue. His right eye was normally covered by a black eye patch, not covering his eye when he slept or if he deliberately took it off. He sported two rings, one worn on his left thumb that had an ornate silver body holding an emerald-cut blue stone while the other worn on his right hand was a gold band with the Phantomhive family crest emblazed on it. As a noble, he wore expensive clothing — a dark blue, thigh-length jacket over a black vest and white dress shirt, a black ribbon tied in a bow, black pants, and dark brown dress shoes.

However, he had just received a letter from Queen Victoria concerning the various murders of prostitutes. He was ordered to find Jack the Ripper, the murderer's given nickname, and take care of the situation. This wasn't the part that offset him though — it was the fact that the queen had said that he would be working alongside her Raven, a title for the head of another noble family that worked in London's Underworld.

He had ordered Sebastian to look into the Queen's Raven — he didn't want to come into the situation without knowing exactly who he had to work with. Apparently, the title of 'The Queen's Raven' belonged to the noble family of Schiffer, a close friend of the Barnett and Midford families. The Raven had a similar job to his, but unlike the Queen's Guard Dog, who will (sometimes) apprehend the offender for Scotland Yard to take care of, the Raven automatically kills the offender after getting answers for the queen.

"My lord, the carriage is ready," his butler reported, just coming into his study. "All that is needed is to pick up the Queen's Raven before we head to the town house."

Sebastian was a young, handsome man who appeared to be several years older than her. He was around four inches taller than her, making him six-foot-one, with a lean, fairly muscular build and a pale skin tone that had a grayish tint to it. He had shoulder-length, raven-black hair that had his bangs framing his face and a thick strand swept in between his eyes, and his eyes were a dark red color. He wore a white dress shirt under a dark gray vest, a six button double-breasted swallow-tailcoat, black trousers, and he also wore black dress shoes and white gloves. He had the Phantomhive family crest on his shirt cuffs and black tie. He also sported a silver pocket watch with a chain, as well as a chained silver lapel pin that bore the same family crest.

"Very well," the young nobleman replied, getting to his feet and grabbing both his top hat and walking cane — even though he didn't really need it. "We'll leave now then."

"Certainly, sir," Sebastian said, bowing.

The carriage ride was a mostly quiet one; the only times either of the two talked — even though Sebastian was driving the carriage — were when they were discussing the job/background of the Schiffer family or things concerning the Jack the Ripper case. It was about fifteen minutes later when the coach stopped and the butler opened the door for his young master to get out, meeting the sight of a rather beautiful mansion.

They went up to the door, the Demon knocking on the door twice before it was opened by one of the house's servants.

The servant was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties and was about six feet tall. He had pale skin and a lean, fairly muscular frame. He had crimson eyes and shoulder-length, black hair with most of his bangs parted to the left and covering some of his left eye. He wore a white, long-sleeved dress shirt under a black vest and black jacket, black pants, and black dress shoes. He also wore a black tie around his neck and black gloves covered his hands.

He bowed in respect towards them — more specifically, Ciel due to his title — before straightening himself. "Lord Phantomhive, we've been expecting you," he said, his voice low and scratchy though it was as if he was supposed to speak that way. "Vincent Valentine, butler of the Schiffer household."

They heard a slight clicking noise behind them, and the two visitors looked over to the main stairs as Vincent stepped aside. Just coming to the floor and walking towards them was a noblewoman a couple years older than Ciel.

She appeared to be a beautiful, fragile teenager around the age of fifteen who was a little taller than others in her age group would be and had a lean, lithe build with a nearly translucent-like skin tone. She had long, night-black hair with a slight silver sheen, making her locks resemble the night sky, and her bangs covered all of her left eye while the pieces that were left framed the right side of her face. Her visible eye was a deep green, like an emerald, with a slit-like pupil. It was barely noticeable, but her left eye was covered by a black eye patch. It had a chain as one of its straps and went to wrap around her neck like a choker, which was partially covered. She wore a black shirt with long sleeves and an up-turned collar, black pants, black combat boots that were secured by black buckles, and she also wore black gloves that only left the index and middle fingers exposed. Over her shirt she wore a thin, ankle-length black coat, and she also wore a ring with an intricate silver body holding an emerald-cut, dark green stone.

"Lady Schiffer," Vincent said, bowing respectfully to his mistress, while a slightly shocked expression appearing on their visitors' faces; after all, it wasn't every day that you see a woman, especially of a noble family, wear pants which were meant for males.

A green, cat-like eye looked towards the two standing near the door, as if analyzing the two. "…Lord Phantomhive and his butler, yes," she asked, though it was said more like a statement, her voice low yet smooth and melodious — perfectly fit for a noblewoman.

The young Guard Dog quickly regained his composure. "That's correct," the boy replied. "I am Ciel Phantomhive, Head of the Phantomhive family." He then gestured lightly to his servant. "This is Sebastian Michealis, my butler. We will be working together on the orders of Her Majesty, but we'll have to be working from my family's town estate," he stated. "Is this acceptable?"

Despite knowing that he was only saying this out of formality, she nodded once anyhow. "Vincent," she began, her gaze moving to her butler, "you shall accompany me," she ordered. "…I have a feeling we will need you later on."

Standing straight, he gave a graceful, flawless bow. "Yes, my lady," he replied before opening the door again, allowing them to leave the manor.

"We shall ride in my carriage to the town estate. Is that all right," Ciel enquired, and she nodded.

Sebastian, being the closest to the carriage, opened the door and assisted the young woman and his master into the carriage before climbing into the driver's position.

"Mr. Valentine, you may sit inside with your mistress if you wish to; I have a feeling that she would feel more at ease with someone that she has been acquainted with," the Phantomhive butler said, bearing a polite smile.

Not changing his basically emotionless expression, something that his employer seemed to share, as he replied, "Lady Schiffer can handle herself fine, and even if she can't handle the situation on her own, I will be there to defend and assist her should she call for it."

Sebastian's polite smile seemed to become slightly more genuine. "That's a very good answer, Mr. Valentine," he commented as the other butler sat next to him though with a bit of distance between them, of course. "Your mistress has a very good butler."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or its characters, the same for any other anime/game I may use in this fanfiction — only my OC(s)

**Chapter Two: Information Gathering**

The ride to the town house was a quiet one; both family heads weren't talkers, and Ciel knew that Neliel already had information on the case, so he didn't need to fill in any blanks. While he wanted to know about her title, he knew that she most likely wouldn't say anything.

England didn't have lengthy summers; in fact they were quite short. It was the warmest from May to August, and people called that time the 'Season.' Aristocrats from all over the world were invited to London for social parties at nobles' mansions during this time.

The raven butler brought the carriage to a stop when they approached the front gates. The town estate was certainly smaller than their main estate, but it was still large. The building was made of brown bricks and had a blue-tile roof, and it was three stories tall.

Vincent came around to the side of the carriage first, holding the door open for both his mistress and the young Earl as Sebastian came around to follow his master.

"It's been a while since you've last been out, hasn't it," he inquired good-naturedly before glancing towards the noblewoman that was accompanying them. "I assume that is the same for you, Lady Schiffer," he wondered, and she gave a curt nod in reply.

"I could care less who sent the letter, I still hate going to crowed places," the boy replied with slight scowl. "There are too many people in London."

Neliel and Vincent silently agreed but didn't voice their input.

"It cannot be helped," the butler stated as they walked in, closing the door behind them, and headed for the stairs. "It's tradition for the nobility to migrate on mass to town from the country every Season."

"The 'Season,' eh," he asked rhetorically, "a waste of time, if you ask me."

"Getting away from the manor could be a nice change of pace," the raven commented optimistically. "It's a break from _those_ four, at least. We can enjoy some peace and quiet for a time."

"Some peace and quiet does sound nice," Ciel agreed as Sebastian opened one of the doors to one of the main…social rooms, only to reveal the room to be a mess with a couple people rummaging around looking for something.

"Goodness sake, where _do_ they keep the tea in this house," the only woman in the room questioned, searching the book cabinet as she placed another novel on a slowly growing pile behind her.

"I can't find it either," another commented, holding a china vase in his hands, while the third occupant stayed quiet in the back of the room.

"Don't be silly, of course it's not in there," she retorted as Sebastian stared with an empty smile and Ciel's mouth was open with a deadpan expression. Although, the Queen's Raven and her butler were slightly confused as to why those three — counting the butler, who was sitting quietly in the back of the room — were present; they weren't informed that anyone else would be here, so they had to wonder if they were somehow involved in the case.

"Madam Red, Lau! Why are you here," the young nobleman questioned.

Madam Red — whose real name was Angelina Durless — was a middle aged woman who was a couple inches shorter than Nel and had a fairly lean, yet curvaceous frame. Fitting her nickname, she had red eyes and scarlet-red hair that she kept styled in a bobcut. She wore a ruffled white blouse under a red waistcoat with black trimming, a red skirt, red high heels, and black gloves. She also wore red lip stick and carried a red parasol.

Lau was a Chinese nobleman who seemed to be in his early thirties. He was fairly tall (around 5' 10'') with a slightly darker skin tone than Madam Red, and he had a fairly muscular frame. He had short black hair and, from the few times that he had been seen with his eyes open, brown eyes. As a Chinese nobleman, he dressed in sumptuous clothing from his native country, which included a tangzhuang. He also had his hands hidden in his overly long sleeves.

The third person in the room seemed to be around the same age as Sebastian or Vincent, and he was actually a little short (5' 7''). He had a lean frame with a pale skin tone. He had long, dark brown hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail with a red ribbon, and thin glasses were worn over his bright green eyes. He dressed in rather simple clothing — a long-sleeved, button-up white shirt with an upturned collar and black pants under a black coat. He wore white gloves on his hands, a black tie around his neck, and black shoes.

"Ciel, you're early, dear," the former Baroness commented, looking up from what she was doing.

"Hello, Earl. I've heard that many interesting things are happening here," the oriental man stated, "and your sudden appearance in town must mean…"

"The Queen's Guard Dog has a new scent to follow," the other finished, a knowing grin on her face.

"We had no idea that guests were coming, I apologize for not accommodating you earlier," Sebastian told them. "I'll prepare tea for you immediately."

"Vincent, go help Sebastian," Nel spoke up and got a nod of acknowledgement from her butler before both servants left the room to prepare refreshments.

"Ciel, who might this be," the red-haired woman asked, as if just noticing the young woman.

"This is Lady Neliel Schiffer, head of the Schiffer household," he replied. "Lady Schiffer, this is my aunt, Madam Red, and the man next to her is Lau, a trader and mafia head from China."

"Oh my… Earl, why didn't you tell us that _she_ was going to be here," Lau said. "It's been quite a while since one of her family has actually shown their face in public, especially while working on the job."

"You mean…" A smile came across Madam Red's face. "I didn't know that Lord Schiffer's child survived the attack. But to come back as the Queen's Raven while also running the new Nightingale Company? I guess it should've been expected."

"We're sorry for the wait, but the refreshments have been prepared," Sebastian informed as he and Vincent walked back into the drawing room, both carrying small trays of tea and slices of a miniature cake.

As soon as everyone was situated, it had Ciel sitting at the head of the table, Lau sitting to his left, Neliel sitting to the boy's right, and Madam Red sitting across from her nephew with each butler standing behind their respective masters.

"He's stuck again, another prostitute was found gruesomely murdered in White Chapel," the young Phantomhive informed, sipping his tea. "These killings are far from normal; the level of violence we are seeing is unprecedented, so that's why 'she' is so worried about it."

"The most recent killing was of a woman named Mary Ann Nichols," Sebastian continued. "It seems that a special type of blade was used on her, using quick cuts and a painful death; she was torn up beyond recognition."

"The murder's distinctive style of killing has earned a unique nickname from the press," the earl continued, "Jack the Ripper."

"A frightening name, aye," Lau commented solemnly.

"That's why I'm here earlier than expected; I hurried into town to look into the situation for myself, and Lady Schiffer is here on the queen's orders since we are to work together on this case."

"The Queen's Guard Dog has already been dispatched but I'm not interested," Lau stated, placing his tea cup down. "However…are you sure you'll be brave enough to stomach the crime scene?"

"What do you mean by that," he asked, blue eyes slightly narrowed.

"I smelled a wild beast at the crime scene — this murderer is definitely an abnormal madman," the Chinese man stated. "The sight of the dismembered body will certainly be horrific, and one can only _imagine_ the stench — blood and gore everywhere," he continued, leisurely making his way towards the earl. "Surely it would be more than enough to drive some men mad. Are you prepared to see such a thing," he asked, raising a hand to Ciel's face. "You're just a young boy, after all."

"I am the head of the Phantomhives and in service to my queen. Don't ask foolish questions," the 'child' replied coldly, his eye color seeming to darken a shade or two as he glared at the man next to him.

"You're right…so sorry," Lau conceded, though they all knew that his 'apology' was void. "Then take a stroll with me," he suddenly said, pulling the Earl along almost like a ragdoll and suddenly dispersing the tense atmosphere.

"Wait a minute," Angelina exclaimed angrily, suddenly on her feet, before calming down…somewhat. "Seriously! I rarely ever get to have some afternoon tea with my nephew — and this is the first time since I have seen any of the Schiffer family in years — but I can't even enjoy it in peace? I want to go too," she mini-ranted. "Lau, where is this crime scene?"

"Don't you know, Madam," he enquired before losing his grin and sighing. "Don't ask me; I don't know the way either," he admitted, and even both Neliel and Vincent were having slight difficulty in telling whether the Chinese man — or 'rat,' as Lady Durless referred him as once — was lying or not.

"You talk so arrogantly, yet you don't even know where it is," she questioned, suddenly irate again, both missing Ciel's sigh of tired exasperation.

"Calm down," he told them, not wanting to a bigger headache than he already did. "I know there has to be at least one person that's been to the crime scene."

"Eh," was the oh-so-intelligent response of the two — supposed — adults, pausing in their quarrel.

"At the time, many people are gathered to see what was going on, but it's far too troublesome for me to ask Scotland Yard for information."

"Then what should we do," the former Baroness enquired, a confused expression on her face.

The man next to her gasped, a look of realizing recognition (seemingly) appearing on his face. "My lord, you don't mean…!"

"There's no other way," the boy admitted before a reluctant expression crossed his features. "It's bothersome to meddle in this case…but I can find someone who works on this case," he said before they prepared to go into town.

"…So, where are we," Lau piped up as they stood outside a…peculiar building.

It was a tall building that was in between two others with tannish-yellow bricks. On its front was a rectangular sign, which read "Undertaker" in black font. The purple sign was embellished with a golden-yellow lining and a skull sat in the middle on the top of the sign. Cobwebs were on the projecting corner of the building. Along the front of the building, a coffin rested beside the door, a yellow flag and a tombstone rested on the other side of the wall.

"If you didn't know, then what was all that about," Madam Red questioned before turning to her nephew. "And why are you familiar with this kind of place!?"

"This funeral parlor is run by an acquaintance of my lord's," Sebastian informed her while Grell — as they learned the other butler's name was — tried to calm down his employer. The raven butler opened the door for the group to enter.

"The Undertaker," she read off the sign, curiosity coating her words.

The interior of the funeral parlor consisted of a decent-sized, though dark room. Coffins were strewn about, some with lids on them and some without, and there was an unlit chandelier handing from the ceiling. Shelves that held various assortments — most of which they probably didn't want to know what those things were — were lined along the inside walls, and a desk sat in front of the far wall.

"If we're looking for answers, this is the place," Ciel told his aunt as he walked inside, followed by his servant and other noble company (plus the other two butlers). "Are you there, Undertaker?"

"He-he, he-he~ Welcome~ I thought I'd be seeing you before long," someone suddenly said, chuckling/cackling every now and then. They heard a noise and saw a hand moving aside the lid to a coffin behind them. "My lord, it's so lovely to see you~ Do I finally have the pleasure of fitting for one of me coffins today," the person suddenly asked, grinning as the coffin lid was completely opened, Angelina, Lau, and Grell completely freaked out while the last of the three was on the floor.

Undertaker was a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties to (possibly) early-thirties. He was tall — around six-foot-one — and had a lean, fairly muscular build and a pale skin tone that seemed to have a grayish tint to it. He had long, silver hair that ended a couple inches past his knees with a single braid and his long bangs covered his eyes. He had extensive black fingernails and a noticeable scar across his face, neck, and left pinky finger. He wore a long, black robe with gray trimming, black pants crossed with black buckles and black boots secured by black buckles, and a gray scarf was strapped across his chest and knotted by the hip. He also wore an incredibly lengthy top hat that had a black sash extending down from the top, an emerald ring on his left index finger, black beads around his neck, and a chain of lockets secured over his left shoulder.

"I didn't come here to play; I wanted to—" The boy was cut off when the funeral director raised a hand to his face before pulling back again.

"No need ta say; I'm already aware, very well aware. With one look~ I can tell what's on your mind," he said in his strange way of speaking. "One of my recent customers was a bit unusual, shall we say. I helped though; I made her look beautiful again," he informed almost giddily, his hands close to his face before they were hidden by his sleeves again.

"I would like the details, please," Ciel requested politely.

"Please take a seat first, I'll go make tea," the…eccentric man told them.

'Sit where…?' was the thought running through the minds of everyone, sans Neliel who simply sat on the lid of a closed coffin closest to her.

As if reading their minds, he suggested, "Why not just sit on top?"

A few minutes later, everyone had a…beaker of tea, though all three butlers and Nel had politely declined. Grell and Sebastian were standing while Ciel was sitting next to Neliel. Lau and Madam Red were sitting on coffins a little closer to the door, still nervous around the strange funeral director.

"Now then, you wanted to know about Jack the Ripper," Undertaker asked rhetorically, opening a jar that contained bone-shaped cookies. "Everyone's been scared because of this disturbance…but this isn't the first time I've handled this kind of thing," he said, munching on one of the treats.

"Isn't this the first time? What do you mean," the former Baroness inquired, apparently having forgotten the man's words from earlier.

"It's happened before, a case where prostitutes were killed," he clarified for her before extending his hand that held the cookies towards the two younger nobles. "Do you want some," he asked the two of them.

"Don't want any," the young Phantomhive told him, leaning a bit further away from the man, while Schiffer politely accepted one, munching on the cookie silently.

"In fact, the way they were killed was very similar too," Undertaker continued after retracting his hand. "But in the beginning, the police didn't think much of these cases. Though the murdered prostitutes all had something in common."

"Something in common," Ciel echoed.

"…What is it," Sebastian asked.

"Well now, I wonder what, I wonder what it is indeed," he said with his version of the 'I-know-something-you-don't-and-I'm-quite-proud-of-it' tone as he closed the cookie jar. "Is it bothering you," he asked them.

"I see now," Lau spoke up, "so the funeral parlor is only your cover business. How much is it for information," he inquired, only to lean back when the man was in his face.

Knowing what was about to happen, Neliel moved further away from the young boy's side as to not get involved/dragged into the ridiculousness of the situation.

"I have no need for the queen's coins; there's only one thing I want from you!" The silver-haired man turned towards Ciel, his eyes seeming to glow with excitement before he was in front of the Earl. "Please~ my lord! Give it to me and I'll tell you anything," he pleaded, pulling back. "Give me the extraordinary gift of true laughter! Just one joke and all me information is yours," he said, hugging himself, swaying, and chuckling excessively.

"Lunatic…" the Queen's Watch Dog muttered under his breath.

"Leave it to me, my lord." They turned their attention to the mafia leader. "Here is my joke — it's a classic: on which side does a tiger have the most stripes? On the outside!" However, no one found anything funny, only staring blankly at the man. "Get it? Ha ha? Heh, heh…?"

Failure number one.

"My turn," Angelina declared, stepping forward. "I _live_ for gossip, so this story's going to make you laugh so hard you'll simply curl up and _die_," she stated, smiling before jumping into her story. Already expecting something, Sebastian covered Ciel's ears while Vincent covered Nel's. "So Alice's bow gave her the most extraordinary **** for her **** birthday. It was so ******* wide ***** ******with thick veins running down the ******—"

One hour later, both Madam Red and Lau had what looked to be hospital masks with a red 'X' taped over their mouths.

"Now, my lord, it seems like you're the only one left," Undertaker said, fingers interlaced as he grinned at the young nobleman, before he glanced in the other noble's direction — or it seemed like he did, "unless you'd like to try, Lady Schiffer. It's been a while since you've stopped by," he said in an almost conversational-like tone, but she simply shook her head once as he turned his attention back to the Earl. "I've been nice as to help you out so many times in the past, and I had also given you a special discount last time so I'm not going ta do it again."

A quiet sigh came from behind him, the Earl turning to see Sebastian stepping up. "It can't be helped," the butler commented.

"Sebastian?"

"Everyone, please wait outside," he said, tightening his gloves before looking towards them seriously. "No matter what happens, do _not_ attempt to listen to this."

Like the man — Demon, really — requested, they moved outside for a while, simply standing there in front of the closed door; however, Demon or not, Sebastian didn't know about the advanced senses that came with being trained for committing assassinations.

About three seconds later, they could all hear Undertaker's sudden burst of laughter. It was quite loud, enough to cause the building to shake and for the sign to fall to the ground in front of them. Even the two from the Schiffer household had a slight grin on their faces from what they heard, though it disappeared before anyone could see it.

The door opened, revealing the butler with a smiling face as if nothing had happened. "Please do come back in now; I believe he'll tell us everything we want to know."

As the group stepped in, they saw Undertaker slumped over a coffin, a wide grin on his face as he still tried to control his giggling.

"Oh my, I've just seen a face of ultimate bliss~" he said to himself, giggling every once and a while.

"What did you do to him," Ciel asked from where he stood.

"Come, continue…gu fu…whatever you want to know is fine…gu he he…"

Once everything had settled down, they returned to sitting on the coffin lids, beakers of tea in their hands — though the same four people still politely declined.

"Actually…I always thought, that there weren't enough…'_guests_' gu fu…" the funeral director said a little too gleefully in some of their opinions.

"…Not enough," the demon butler echoed, not really sure what to make of the comment.

"Internal organs, of course," he answered happily. "Don't you think that the eternally sleeping '_guests_' that lay in coffins are so cute? My hobby is to take out the organs for research," he stated, much to the horror of the nobles as they looked down warily at the beakers in their hands.

"This could've stored a kidney before, right," Lau asked rhetorically, sleeved hand over his mouth as he quickly set the beaker aside. "A criminal could've given it to a loan shark…"

"It could've come from the slums of China," the silver-haired man said, much to the mafia leader's ire, before getting back on topic. "It's an interesting pattern I'm seeing these days; I often get customers who are incomplete, heh."

"Incomplete," Sebastian inquired.

"That prostitute isn't a whole woman anymore; the uterus is missing, which quite…odd," he replied, holding a body that had _clearly_ been cut into and everything…if it wasn't fake. Who knew with the funeral director? "The killer makes a big mess of da body, but that particular part is always presumptively excised."

"He did it on a road that was public but not high traffic," the raven butler commented as the silver-haired man set the — possibly fake — body down. "Wouldn't an amateur have a difficult time carrying out such a complicated procedure quickly enough?"

"You're a clever one, butler! That's exactly what I was thinking," the man said, walking forward and stopping behind Neliel. Placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning down, he began to explain. "Ya see, if he had to act within such a short time, he would slit the throat with a sharp weapon," he said, using that hand to make a dragging motion over her neck. "Then he rips into 'er right in the stomach," he continued, using his other hand to make another cutting motion across her stomach, "and takes her precious womanly part.

"From the looks of the culprit's work," Undertaker continued, "that cruel accuracy definitely wasn't carried out by a normal citizen. It had to be someone experienced." He leaned down, poking the young Phantomhive in the cheek with one hand while the other never left the position of being around the young woman's shoulders. "You should've been able to figure that out too, Earl. It's very likely that the murderer is an expert. Maybe if he knew you were here, it could lure him out." He drew back, the hand finally leaving Nel's shoulder. "There'll be more slain, I'm certain; sadistic like 'dis one don't stop until someone makes 'em. Will you stop him? Can you sniff him out? Like a good, little guard dog," the man asked Ciel, grinning like he always was.

"The world of darkness has the world of darkness's rules. He wouldn't murder random people for no reason. There must be an influence manipulating him from behind," the young boy stated as Sebastian helped put his coat back on. "I am bound by the honor of my family — I eliminate any threat the queen asks me to…by any means I find necessary."

The group left the shop and got back into the carriage, preparing to head back to the town estate. Grell was sitting outside, holding the reins as he steered the horses pulling the carriage, while Madam Red was in between Ciel and Lau on one side with Neliel sitting in between Vincent and Sebastian on the other.

'While Undertaker's information was certainly helpful, Sebastian had brought up a good point in the conversation — since the murders (obviously) happened at night, the streets would've been pitch black, so how could this person, no matter how skilled, pull off such an act while getting away without anyone's notice? People normally don't, and normally can't, train their eyesight to see perfectly in the dark, and anyone in the area would notice them if the murderer was carrying a lamp or candle. Not only that, but with the precision of the cuts and the complicated procedure, the killer would've had to have medical training of some kind…'

"His information certainly narrows down our suspects," Ciel stated, brining Neliel form her thoughts.

"First of all, we look at those with the necessary skill set, crossing out anyone with an alibi for the nights on which the murders occurred. Though, the removal of the organs would suggest some kind of gruesome ritual… We should concentrate our investigation on those involved in secret societies," Sebastian suggested.

"As if that narrows the field," Madam Red questioned. "Why even _I_ have the medical skills necessary for this," she retorted, not noticing Neliel's eye narrowing ever-so-slightly as she glanced at the older woman. "Besides which the Season is ending soon! Any doctors who followed the nobles to the city will be returning to the country, and then what—"

"Then we shall have to conclude the investigation quickly."

"Impossible," Lau gasped, clearly disbelieving as well.

"I should be able to do this much at least, otherwise what kind of butler would I be," he asked rhetorically, giving a knowing smile and right hand placed over where his heart would be. Ignoring the shocked/skeptical looks he was getting from the two talkative people in the coach, he leaned forward a bit as he readied to leave, Ciel's amused smirk fading as he made a shooing motion with his hand. "I shall draw up a list of viable suspects and begin questioning them for you immediately, my lord," he told his young master before he opened the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Sebastian let go of the door and was gone in a matter of seconds. Neliel and Vincent were acting as if nothing happened — even though they were slightly curious about the man's actions —while Lau and Angelina had pressed their faces to the window in an attempt to look for the Phantomhive butler.

"He knows that we're _moving_, right," she questioned, the former Baroness seeming a bit frantic, but there was no sign of the butler anywhere.

"Sebastian will take care of it for now," the young lord stated (almost) dismissively, as if he didn't just see his butler do a stunt that would killed/maimed most people. "We can head home and have a cup of tea while we wait."

The carriage slowed to a halt as they came up to the front entrance of the Phantomhive town estate, but Vincent was driving instead of Grell since the latter had gotten them lost and nearly crashed the coach in process. Just as Lau opened the door to the building, both he and Madam Red gasped in astonishment; standing a couple yards in front of them was Sebastian, smiling as he gave a polite bow with some rolled up parchment under one arm.

"Welcome back, everyone. I have awaited your return," he greeted before taking the top hat that was handed to him by his young master. "The afternoon tea is ready for you in the drawing room," he informed as Ciel and Neliel began to head towards the stairs, the other three — Vincent had followed his mistress — continuing to stand in the doorway with shocked expressions.

"Hold on," Lady Durless spoke up, having finally found her voice, "how are you here!?"

"I finished up with that little errand, so I made my home to edify you," he replied easily.

"You made the suspect list already?"

"Well, yes; I made a list of names based on what we had discussed, then I contacted them all and asked them the relevant questions," the butler stated, showing them the three rolled up lists he was carrying.

"Come now, Sebastian, that's impossible — even for you," the woman retorted calmly, one hand on her hip, but the butler decided to prove her wrong.

"The Earl Chamber's head physician, William Somerset, was attending Earl Howard's party at the time of Mary Ann Nichol's death, thus he has an alibi and was involved with the crime. Alibi…went to a meeting so he has an alibi… Richard Oswald, doctor of the Duke of Bailey was at the White Horse Pub with friends and was not involved… Park was with a friend…secret meeting at the Royal London Hospital… Howard's alibi was a business negotiation….was not involved….nton's head physician, Davi…surgeon of the Royal University of London's hospital, Simon E….not involved. A surgeon of St. Tom's Hospital, O….ate out with his parents…was not related to the incident. Duke Bard's head physician, Nicholas Anthony, was….at the Royal London Hospital performing surgery. Adam…was not….not at the…during the incident, testified by a…."

Ciel and the other two had paused at the base of the stairs, listening to the names rapidly listed off by the younger noble's butler, and the Queen's Raven had to admit that she was impressed. Ciel himself was smirking, Lau was smiling, Grell had a shocked expression yet also appearing like a star-struck teenager at the same time, and Angelina had this shocked expression while her had was starting to slide off her head.

"The aforementioned names are the results of my investigation," Sebastian spoke, ending the list and dropping the last roll of parchment to the floor. "From this information, I have narrowed down our list… to _one _possible suspect."

"Are you certain you're just a butler, not a military secret intelligence officer," the former Baroness asked, still skeptic about how the man could do so much in so little time.

"See, my lady, I'm simply one hell of a butler," he replied, smiling.


End file.
